Field
The disclosed concept relates generally to circuit breaker panel boards, and more particularly, to circuit breaker panel boards including an illumination unit.
Background Information
Circuit breaker panel boards are configured to receive numerous circuit breakers. In applications such as residential circuit breakers, the lighting in the vicinity of the circuit breaker is not independent of the circuit breaker. That is, if the power at the circuit breaker goes out, power to any lighting will also go out. Furthermore, the lighting in the vicinity of the circuit breaker may be associated with a circuit breaker in the panel board. Thus, when the circuit breaker trips, power to the lighting is cut off.
In power outages, or in the event that power is cut due to a circuit breaker tripping, residents will want to check the circuit breaker panel board to see if any of the circuit breakers have tripped. However, the area around the circuit breaker may be dark if power to the lighting around the circuit breaker is cut. Thus, a resident would need to bring a flashlight or other light source to be able to see the status of the circuit breakers in the circuit breaker panel. This creates an inconvenience for the resident, and can also create a hazardous condition if the resident attempts to ascertain the status of the circuit breakers with insufficient lighting. Additionally, lighting around the circuit breaker panel board may not be oriented in a manner that provides adequate illumination for safely approaching the circuit breaker panel board and working on circuit breakers.
There is thus room for improvement in circuit breaker panel boards.